


And it was all Yellow

by TheMitochondrion



Category: Firewatch (Video Game), She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Hiking, Inspired by Firewatch (Video Game), Slow Burn, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24424114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMitochondrion/pseuds/TheMitochondrion
Summary: Adora is living a perfect life - she graduated from high school as valedictorian, she's attending the world-renowned Eternia University for a joint honours degree and she's fast on her way to becoming a top-ranking figure in the field of athletics. But she's always felt that something was missing - questions that needed answers, and there were many for a girl like her. She takes up a summer job as a fire-watcher in the Shoshone National Forest, hoping that fresh air and alone time would be of some help.Catra isn't looking forward to yet another few months spent sitting in a tower in the middle of nowhere, but at least the job comes with its perks - a reasonable salary, booze in her supply cache and, most importantly, a promotion so that she can always assign someone else to do the hard work for her. She just needs to make sure that they don't catch wind of Hordak's plans for the Wyoming wilderness...
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 93





	1. The Beginning

Adora stumbles though a patch of bushes, cursing at how her clothes were getting caught on the branches. She wrestles her way out of the vegetation and into a clearing, seeing the ivory-white moon above her being blocked by a fire-watch tower sitting in plain sight. She gives a loud sigh of relief, briefly leaning against a nearby tree to catch her breath before walking towards the tower.

She passes an outhouse and a dreary outdoor shower area before climbing up the stairs, feeling as though her backpack had doubled in weight. Adora groans and continues climbing, feeling as though her knees were going to give way if she didn't reach the top of the tower soon. Beads of sweat drip down her face, causing the tendrils of hair that had fallen from her ponytail to stick to her temple.

After a long moment, she finally makes her way up to the top deck. The ache in her back and legs seems unrelenting as she makes her way around the top deck towards the door, unlocks it and stumbles inside.

The musty smell of the air inside the unused room surrounds her as she makes her way towards the generator switch, turning it on and watching the lights illuminate the room. She locks the door with her key before hanging the key-chain on a nearby peg.

"Hey, Two Forks Tower." A voice crackles through the room, taking Adora by surprise. She briefly looks over at a battered walkie-talkie sitting in a charging port before remembering that she was still wearing the backpack, its straps cutting into her shoulders. She slips the bag off with a groan and lets it fall onto the floor - unpacking could wait until later.

"Two Forks Tower, this is Thorofare Tower. Come in." Came the voice again. It sounded like that of a woman's, carrying that distinctive gruff air of someone who had been up for too many hours. Adora stretches with relief, hearing little popping sounds coming from her spine. She quickly removes her jacket and looks around the room now that the lights are on.

The upper areas of all four walls are windows, obviously for convenient firewatching, but not practical for anyone who wants to change their clothes in peace - who knows whether someone will be out there with a pair of really good binoculars? Adora peers at the narrow strip of wall between the windows and the ceiling, spotting faded photographs of the mountains and forests that surround the tower, alongside a triangular banner with the words 'WYOMING' imprinted on it. A clock sits on the window frame of one wall, reminding Adora that it is now 3 AM.

A tap-less sink, counter and stove sits in one corner, acting as the kitchenette. Sitting on the counter is a large water jug with a tap, some sort of cookbook and a National Forest Guide. At least she can get water without having to run all the way down every time. A small, vintage-style wood burner sits next to the stove, covered in sawdust. Adora probably wouldn't be using that anytime soon.

She spots her narrow bed against one corner, the head of the bed opposite the door. The folded sheets on it look mercifully clean. Adora walks over to a chest of drawers next to the foot of the bed with a small bookcase on it, the only item on it being some obscure magazine from the 1980s. A few feet away from the drawers, in the middle of the room, is some sort of circular map on a podium, with vertical protrusions coming from it like a weird sundial.

"Pick up your goddamn radio." Said the voice again, losing her previous air of professionalism.

Adora gives an exasperated sigh. She's barely been in her new home (if you can even call it a home) for two minutes and this stranger's already bugging her. She walks over to the desk and picks up the walkie-talkie from its port, flipping it between her hands to find the button. She feels the rough yellow plastic of the device on her skin, its dents and scratches from years of prolonged use evident. Finding the button, Adora presses it and gingerly lifts it nearer to her face.

"Hello? Whoever this is?" She asks, her voice scratchy from the fact that she hadn't actually been using it for a while.

"It's Adora, right?" Said the voice. The sound quality was surprisingly sharp for a device that looks so ancient.

She gives a cough to clear her throat before replying. "Yeah."

"I'm Catra."

"Oh, right." Adora replies dumbly, not knowing what else to say. Sure, the person on the phone a few days ago mentioned that Adora would be getting a supervisor for the summer seen as though she's a first timer but right now, she just wants to go to sleep. She sinks into the rickety chair by the desk, eyeing the box of rations.

"So what's wrong with you?"

Adora blinks at the device. That was not the expected question. "Excuse me?"

"Come on, people take this job to get away from something. So what's wrong?" She questioned. Adora could've sworn that the words were becoming slurred together.

"What's wrong with you?" She says back curtly, ripping open the box and investigating its contents. Ew, tinned asparagus?

"That's a great idea - you take a stab at why I'm here, and I guess why you are!" Catra exclaims, sounding excited. Adora pulls out more of her rations - she's going to have to start liking beef jerky real quick.

"Look - I've just been hiking for hours, can we do this later?"

"Nope!"

"Well, you're gonna be supervising me for three months, so I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities later on to ask me about all this. Even though technically, it's none of your business."

"Let's see... I'd say you're a washed-up wannabe author and meditation enthusiast, looking for some inspiration to kick-start your career so you plan to sit out in the wilderness for three months to write an epic fantasy novel on a typewriter. Y'know, get all 'zen' and shit and become 'one with nature' That's the kind of bullshit reason for why someone would take up a job like this." 

Adora gives a scoff, tossing aside a bag of trail mix. "Not even close."

"Okay, what's your reason for me then?" Catra asks. Adora rolls her eyes and sets aside a jar of peanut butter, knowing there's no way she can back out of this.

"You're out here because... no one likes you back at home." She replies. "Oh, and because you murdered three people."

"Ouch, Adora." Said Catra playfully. "I'd expect the kill count to at least be in the double digits."

"Well, that's a shame. Can I go to sleep now?" Yawned Adora, getting up and digging around in her backpack to find her sleepwear and nighttime essentials. She takes her hair tie out, letting her blonde locks fall around her shoulder.

"Your guess wasn't detailed enough. I wanna know - how did I kill those people?"

"Goodnight."

"And what made me kill them? What's my motive?"

"I'll disconnect the radio."

Adora hears Catra give a small laugh. She looks out of the north-facing window into the darkness outside, and sees a fire-watch tower similar to hers sitting in the distance, its own windows illuminated from the lights within.

"Welcome to the job."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I technically have a bunch of other fics that I do need to be finishing and I don't really have any excuse since my exams got cancelled because of our good friend Corona but I recently binge watched all of SPOP since Tumblr was blowing up over the finale and, well, I'm also obsessed with this game called Firewatch so here we are.
> 
> Also, since Firewatch is set in the USA, I've decided to spend ages on Wikipedia researching so that I could make a convincing story that's set in the USA since I myself am from the UK. This is also my first time writing in the present tense, since all my other fics are written in the past tense. If you come across any errors, please don't hesitate to tell me.
> 
> Enjoy! Constructive criticism is welcomed!
> 
> \- Elle


	2. Day 1

Adora stares glumly at the laptop in front of her, with her email inbox open but not loading anything. Of course there is no internet out here in a place like this, what was she thinking? Writing this summer essay is going to be near impossible. She sighs and closes her laptop, staring out the window at the orange sky ahead.

All of the sudden, the radio crackles back to life. "Hey, Adora."

Adora picks up the walkie-talkie. "Yeah, hi. Sorry, I guess I slept in."

"You got a relaxing what, fourteen hours of sleep? Whew!" Chuckles Catra. "How's the sleeping arrangements?"

"They're fine - after sleeping in college dorms for 3 years, any other bed feels like luxury."

"Tell me about it." 

"Although I've gotta say, this desk chair is threatening to give me some major splinters."

"Well, you'd better get used to it since you're gonna be spending most of your time either sitting or hiking." Said Catra. "The good news is that you don't have to be sitting down for much longer, because I've got a job for you."

"Already?!"

"Uh, duh. No slow starts in the Shoshone, Adora."

"Fine... what's the bad news?" Asked Adora, placing the laptop back in its sleeve and putting it in the drawer.

"I had notice of a few rogue campers out by the lake to your far west - they were setting off fireworks and doing all sorts of crazy shit. They cleared off a while back, but not before leaving their unwelcome trash all over the place. The little shits."

"You want me to go litter picking?"

"No one said this was a glamorous job. Your job spans over more responsibilities than just monitoring fires, you know. There should be some big plastic bags in your room."

Adora spots the rolled up wad of plastic bags sitting on the floor by the kitchenette, and picks it up before tossing it into her bag. "So I clear the trash and that's it?"

"For today, yeah. You'll need some rope to get down the shale slide between you and the lake, if I remember correctly. You'll find it in one of the supply caches along the way." Catra replies as Adora heads out, opening the door to the warm air outside. The mountains and trees stretch for as far as Adora could see, bathed in the orange glow of the late afternoon. She feels her breath hitch as she looks out, seeing the Wyoming wilderness for the first time at this vantage point.

"Woah."

"Yeah. Pretty impressive, huh?" 

Adora jumps, forgetting that her finger is still pressing the button. "Oh, uh, yeah. It is." She replies as she makes her way down the wooden stairs.

By the time Adora reaches the ground and pulls out her map and compass, the radio crackles again with Catra's voice.

"What do you study?"

"Sorry?" Adora stammers, orienting her compass and picking the closest path that led to the west.

"You mentioned that you go to college."

"Oh, yeah- I study Foreign Languages and Biology. After this summer, I'm starting my final year." 

"Joint honours? Someone's a nerd." Said Catra. Adora quickly consults the map, before putting it away and quickening her pace.

"I won't believe how many times people say that to me."

"I bet it's at one of the elite universities too." 

"Eternia University." 

Catra gives an impressed whistle. "Nice. Don't places like that run expensive summer camps for nerds like you?"

"Yeah, but I wanted something different." Replies Adora, steadying her pace while walking down a steeper path, her legs still aching from the previous hike. "Y'know, getting out here with no one around."

"Except me."

"Except you."

"And I'll make sure that you have plenty to do. I am your supervisor, after all." Catra said. Adora enters a lush meadow, the retreating sunlight filtering in through the trees overhead. 

"What are the perks of being a supervisor?"

"I get to sit around all day in my comfy tower, ordering you around while I do whatever I want!" 

"Wonderful." Adora says, her voice cut through with sarcasm. The late afternoon air feels warm on her skin, and despite the pain, Adora is finding this whole walk incredibly uplifting.

She makes her way through the meadow, thankful for the flat ground underneath, before stopping at an orange cache box with an image of a pine tree spray painted on the top. The lid is held shut with a combination padlock.

"Catra, I found the supply cache. What's the pass-code?"

"One-two-three-four. It's actually that for all the cache boxes."

"Wow, that's secure."

"Shut up."

Adora clips the walkie-talkie to her belt before fiddling with the padlock. Sure enough, 1-2-3-4 causes the padlock to click open and fall to the ground. The blonde lifts open the supply cache and peers inside.

A twist of rope, a granola bar and a pine cone sit on the wooden plank inside the cache. Adora places the rope in her bag before taking the granola bar. "Sweet, there's a granola bar in here!"

"Boy, that's exciting." Catra drawls. Adora peers at the packet.

"... A granola bar that expired five years ago..." She mutters, placing the granola bar back in its usual place.

"Huh, go figure. I mean, most lookouts don't bother emptying a cache box so random shit just stays in it. It's like a time capsule for losers."

"Are you calling me a loser?"

"You can decide that for yourself." Says Catra. "By the way, it's probably worth copying some information off the map in the cache. Saves you a lot of headaches later on."

Adora spots the map stuck onto the inside of the cache lid. She pulls out a blunt pencil and hastily scribbles down some information before closing the cache lid and putting the lock back in place. She lifts the walkie-talkie back to her face. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it." Catra replies.

The blonde continues her walking. "So... uh, do you supervise anyone else?"

A snicker came from the other end. "One for talking, huh?"

"Well, it's kinda boring just walking out here on my own."

"It's about taking in your natural surroundings, and all that shit." Said Catra. "There's Scorpia over at Moss Peak Tower. She's a college friend of mine, so I don't really need to supervise her, but we check in on each other now and then." 

Before long, Adora arrives at what she assumes is the shale slide that Catra previously mentioned. She looks at the jagged rocks and steep incline, wincing slightly. "Uh, Catra? This shale slide looks pretty big."

"It's not that big, it's not even named on our topos."

"Well, I'm calling it 'Cripple Gulch' and uh- how do you expect me to get down this?"

"... You use the rope to abseil down? C'mon, it's pretty obvious. There should be a rock at the top of the shale slide with some cord and a carabiner so you can clip the rope onto it using a loop knot. Or do I have to teach you how to tie a loop knot? In fact, do you know what a rope is?"

"Shut up, I was just clarifying." Counters Adora, sitting down on the dusty ground and deftly tying the knot. She spots the carabiner and attaches the rope to it before getting up again and tugging on it. "Okay, I'm going down."

She steps onto the shale, feeling the stones shift under her walking boot. Adora gingerly moves so that both her feet are on the shale, her hands gripping the rope so tightly that her knuckles turn white. Taking a deep breath, Adora begins to move her feet downwards, one after the other, slowly manoeuvring down the shale slide. The rope stays taut above her as she moves down, slowly gaining speed. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot.

Adora makes her way to the halfway point of the slide, feeling that immediate sense of fear begin to dissipate. Okay, maybe her arms are starting to burn and maybe the backpack weighing her down isn't helping, but this feels okay. Less daunting than anticipated. She continues moving down-

A loud 'SNAP' whips through the air, and Adora feels the taut rope quickly become slack in her hands. Before she's even had time to react, her feet slip on the shale and she's already falling downwards towards the ground below.

She lets out a loud yell at no one in particular, briefly seeing the amber skies ahead before tumbling to the ground with a loud crash.

Light peeps through her eyelids as Adora soon regains consciousness, groaning at the pain shooting through her body. She gets up onto her elbows and reaches over for the walkie-talkie.

"Ugh... hey."

"What happened to you?"

"Cripple Gulch got me."

"What?"

"The rope snapped on the way down." She pants, getting up and dusting off her clothes. "I think I'll survive. I kinda landed on my backpack."

"Well be careful, for fuck's sake. The last thing I need is you being lifted out of here by air ambulance."

Adora grins at the device as she continues her walk. "Aww, you could say that we all - _look out_ \- for one another." She says, suppressing a laugh when she hears a loud groan from the other side.

"If you're one of those people who loves puns then don't expect me to ever radio you ever again. And don't assume that I don't want you to get hurt because I care - for your information, it costs thousands of dollars to arrange for helicopter travel."

"Oh come on! That was a good pun!"

"It was a terrible pun."

Adora soon passes by a sign displaying "Jonesy Lake: 0.5 miles", spotting some colourful objects protruding from the grass nearby. She picks up the nearest item - a 'Red Eagle' beer can.

"Well, I found the trash. Or at least the start of it." She says, her nose wrinkling at the stench of beer. "God, I hate the smell of beer."

"Pfft. You're a college student and you hate beer? What the hell's wrong with you?" Catra sniggers. Adora keeps the radio on and clips it to her belt before getting out the plastic bags.

"Maybe I'm not the sort of student who goes out and gets absolutely smashed every night." 

"Nerd."

"I can tell that you're the type who loves to drink then." Adora says as she begins clearing the area.

"Of course! I'm known as the undisputed beer pong champion in college."

"Wow, sounds like a great skill to put on the résumé."

"Y'know, I could put a word in to the supply team to drop off some booze in your supply box... They've got all kinds, you know. Premium tequila, scotch whisky, craft beer..."

"Yeah, no." Adora replies as she tips an empty beer can box into her plastic bag. "I didn't come out here to get drunk."

"Suit yourself. Have fun staying sober on nights when you have no one to talk to."

"I have you, don't I? We've been talking ever since you gave me this task." Adora says while walking further towards the lake. 

"You do realise that I have other shit to do all the time?"

"Like what? Getting drunk?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Catra quips. There's a short pause. "You know, speaking of booze and all that... I have a confession to make."

"Hm?" 

"Look, I- gosh, I was drunk, okay? When I welcomed you to the job. That's why I started asking dumb questions."

"Huh. I can't say I'm too shocked at that confession." Adora replies, spotting another patch of trash and scooping it into the bag.

"Yeah, well, I guess it didn't come across great. I mean, you're not obliged to tell me anything. I just- I just get a loose tongue when I've had a few drinks, y'know? Everyone does."

"Honestly, it's not a big deal. I'm literally just a college student." Adora mutters, looking out towards the shimmering surface of Jonesy Lake. "Just... wanted a summer job. That's all."

"Alright. Glad we cleared that up. Uh, I'll try not to ask questions like that again, then. For privacy and shit like that."

"Thanks."

The line goes silent for a moment as Adora continues her task, feeling the gentle rays on the back of her neck - not scorching like the typical midday sun. She spots a stray beer can lurking in the shallows by the lake and picks it up, feeling her fingers dip in the cool water. In the distance, ripples on the surface from the fish in the lake briefly catch Adora's attention before she returns to clearing the area.

"These damn campers. Don't they know that their trash can pollute the lake?!"

"And harm any nearby wildlife, too. Trust me, if the campers were still around then I'd be giving them a piece of my mind. And this is only the start of the summer season." Catra drawls. "You get all sorts of campers down here. Some of them think they're invincible because they're out here in the middle of nowhere."

"That is so messed up."

"No shit. I'm just hoping for a quiet summer."

"Do you usually get them?"

Adora hears Catra laugh. "Never."


	3. Day 2

"Catra."

The brunette groans and shifts her position in bed, her arm held over her closed eyes.

"Catra!" Comes the voice again. Catra gets out of bed with a groan and stomps over to her radio.

"What is it, Adora?!"

"Uh, it's Scorpia."

"Oh, right. Yeah, I knew that." Catra grumbles, picking up her walkie-talkie as she makes her way over to the kitchenette to make a coffee. "What do you want?"

"Just checking up on you -we haven't talked since we got to our lookouts!" Scorpia replies, chipper as always. "You sound... hungover."

Catra groans again, filling the kettle with water from the jug before placing it on the stovetop. "Okay, maybe I had some tequila last night, but it's nothing to get freaked out about."

"Alright, but just, uh- make sure that you don't get too drunk? I wouldn't want you to like, get into trouble or anything." Scorpia says tentatively. "Anyway, who's Adora?"

"Hm? Oh, she's the new lookout I've been told to supervise." Catra replies, slipping out of her old clothes and pulling on a fresh set.

"Oh yeah, the new lookout in Two Forks! I remember you telling me about that! How is she?"

"You know how I said there are two types of lookout - the type that is literally a hermit and then the type that won't shut up?"

"Yeah?"

"She's the latter." Catra says, digging spoonfuls of coffee grounds out of its jar and scooping them into her mug. "She's a double honours student at Eternia."

"Woah- at least she's our age! That at least makes for better conversations, right?" Scorpia replies as Catra pours the boiling water into her mug.

"Yeah, whatever." 

"Oh and by the way, I keep on trying to radio to central comms for some extra equipment, but my line keeps on shutting. Have you noticed anything like that?"

"No, I never use that line." Catra responds, adding several spoonfuls of sugar into her coffee.

"Ah. Right, well- it's just that I'm guessing there may be a problem with the power lines out to the north since they connect us to the central comms. I could hike out to investigate-."

"I'll send Adora out." Catra smirks, sipping her coffee. "It'll give her something to do for today."

"Thanks, wildcat! Man, I am loving this teamwork!" Scorpia exclaims. Catra rolls her eyes and sets the coffee mug down by her desk.

"Whatever you say, Scorps." She says, turning her walkie-talkie off before she gets a reply. She slips her headset on and activates the line. "Hey, Adora."

She's met with a spluttering sound from the other end. "Catra! Stop calling by surprise and scaring me like that!"

"I've got a job for you. Head to the power lines out in the far north of your map. You need to check if there's anything wrong with them."

"What- out north? Aren't you the closest to them?" Adora replies. Catra hears the rustling noise of Adora checking her map. "And what do you mean by checking them? I'm not an electrician."

"Well firstly, Miss Smartass, you don't need a PhD in Electrical Engineering to check if a line has been damaged or not. And secondly, I'm your supervisor so you're doing whatever I want you to." Catra smiles, leaning back on her chair and putting her feet on the desk while she languidly sips her coffee.

"Fine. Do you want me to do it now?"

"If you hurry up, you'll be finished by lunchtime."

"Knowing my luck, I'll probably get lost on the way there."

"Then make a burrito or something then. Surely I don't have to tell you that? There's tortilla wraps in your rations box."

"Yeah, like a billion of them."

"It's because they're easy to store and don't take up much space, dummy." 

"Hey, I'm a fan of burritos as much as the next girl, but making one with nothing but tinned refried beans and beef jerky does not sound appetising."

Catra rolls her eyes. "Then get used to it. Call me when you get there." She says, before disconnecting and slipping off her headset. Catra opens a nearby drawer and pulls out a multicoloured packet of candy, grinning.

Okay, the supply team weren't generous enough to start dishing out candy, so Catra had to haul several bags of the stuff all the way into the Shoshone just to satisfy her sweet tooth. She pops a few gummy bears into her mouth before shutting the drawer again.

The brunette feels a twinge of pain across her head - the beginnings of a pounding headache. She groans and leans her head back, staring at a Polaroid picture that was stuck to the window by her desk. It's a picture of Scorpia, Catra and Entrapta in a group hug during their first year of college. Scorpia and Entrapta are beaming brightly at the camera, with Catra sandwiched in the middle with an exasperated look on her face. Below the picture, written in Scorpia's hasty scrawl, read:

_Super Pal Trio take on college!!!_

After a moment, the display panel on the radio flashes, prompting Catra to place her headset back on. "What?"

"Okay, I've gathered my stuff and I'm heading out."

"You do know that you don't have to tell me everything you do all the time?"

"Just keeping you updated."

"Great. Now hurry up. The faster you get out there and report back, the faster I can send someone to go fix the wire. I'm not in the mood for banter."

"Aww, did someone drink too much last night?"

"Just shut up and get going." Catra growls, disconnecting Adora again. She takes a few more sips of coffee before gingerly getting up, one hand over the back of her head.

She looks around her room, spotting the cluttered sink from her dinner last night. There were still many things to sort out. The clock overhead isn't displaying the right time, regardless of how many times Catra replaced the batteries. She still needed some water-proof glue to sort out the gap that had appeared in one of her walking boots. She'd not even finished unpacking despite arriving almost a week ago. The lookout gives a sigh and walks over to the sink, but is quickly distracted by her walkie-talkie activating. 

"Catra." Comes the deep voice of Hordak, booming across her room. 

She picks up. "What do you want?"

"You were meant to report to me as soon as your new lookout arrived, which you haven't done."

"Yeah, well I was busy."

"Don't think that you can just get away with this. I've been looking at her credentials and she may just be the one we need."

"Great. What have I got to do with that?"

"You're the only port of communication with the new lookout. I want you to gather as much information as you can about her. I already have Entrapta working on it, but you are not to disappoint me."

"Why do you care so much? She's just some college student."

"You are to obey my orders. You will report back to me every evening at eight PM. And you must _not_ tell her of the plans."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"I gave you this promotion so that we'd be able to move to our next phase of planning. Do not take this lightly." Hordak says. The line cuts off, leaving Catra in the silence again.

"Dramatic bitch." She mutters to herself as she sets down her walkie-talkie and begins washing the dishes.

Which turns out to be a longer task than initially assumed. The water jug keeps on jamming, causing Catra to have to punch the solid plastic a few times before water dribbles out of the tap. She can't find a sponge, so has to make do with an old shirt to scrub at the crockery.

Whilst scrubbing at a plate, Catra's mind starts wandering. Hadn't she promised just yesterday to not ask personal questions? Of course, this is only the start of very long summer, but it still seems odd to pull such a U-turn so quickly.

Then again, Catra's just Adora's supervisor. Why would it matter to Catra if Adora gets annoyed at all the questions? It isn't like they'll ever meet, or even talk to each other after the summer.

By the time she finishes clearing the kitchenette, Catra is just about ready to flop back into bed and take a nap, but the radio displays that Adora's back on the line. The brunette sits back at the desk and places her headset on. 

"I found the problem!" Adora says, triumphant. "One of the trees nearby collapsed onto the wire."

"Must've happened during the storm a few days ago." Catra sighs, really wishing that this headache would just clear off. "I'll send someone over to fix it. What are your coordinates?"

"Uh..."

"Look at your map, find out where you are and tell me the coordinates."

"Oh, right!"

"Y'know, for someone with double honours, you do lack common sense of any sort."

"Look, I'm not a map extraordinaire! Let's see... A-nine-two-six." Adora says. Catra scribbles it down on a post-it note.

"Neat."

"I might have my lunch up here - the view's pretty good."

"Mm, whatever." Catra says, eyes drifting towards a contraption in the corner of her porch. A smirk creeps up onto her face.

This promotion comes with a lot of positives, one being that when Catra arrived at her lookout, the supply team soon popped up with her rations and a large, sleek box. Inside, a brand-new, state of the art spotting scope.

Sure, this spotting scope was technically meant to be used for observing any potential fires that could grow into something bigger, but it isn't like there's anyone out here to stop her.

Catra returns to the conversation. "Look, I'm going to sort out some shit I need to do. Only call if there's an emergency or something."

"Oh... okay. So I don't need to do anything else?"

"Not at the moment." Catra responds, shutting the line and taking her headset off. She opens the door and wanders over to the spotting scope, grinning, before peering into the eyepiece.

It took a moment of fiddling with the scope and adjusting it to face the right direction, but Catra soon catches glimpse of a flash of red sitting on a rock by the power lines. Catra turns the dial, giving a groan of frustration at how the highest resolution still isn't managing to deliver a crisp image.

Nevertheless, she sees Adora. Dressed in a scarlet varsity jacket and sipping out of her water canteen, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. The resolution isn't high enough to display her face in full detail, but an image of the typical jocks Catra sees around college floats into her mind.

Wow, a jock who does double honours? At Eternia University? Catra snickers at the irony.

Adora reaches for her lunchbox before clumsily knocking it off the rock and onto the ground below. She panics, jumping up and leaping off the rock in pursuit. Catra gives a loud laugh.

Well, at least the spotting scope will make things a little less dull around here.

Remembering that she still needs to alert the electrics team of the wire, the brunette soon returns to her room to sit at her desk and write out a report for the broken wire. Once she's finished, she places her headset back on.

"So, how's lunch going?"

"My lunchbox fell off the side of the rock..." Replies Adora, sounding dismayed. "There's a big dent in it now."

"That sounds _so_ tragic. I can't imagine how you're coping." Catra says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It is tragic! This is my favourite lunchbox!"

"What a shame."

"Shut up, Catra."

"I'm just offering some sympathy!"

"Yeah, right. I'm heading back to my tower soon. Is there anything else I need to do?"

"Nope."

"So I get the rest of the day off?"

"Well, I can always conjure up another task if you're bored. What about scrubbing the outhouses of every lookout tower within a twenty mile radius?"

"... No thanks."

"Come on, it's really fun! It's not like you'll get covered in gunk and smell rancid for a week, regardless of how long you stand in the shower!"

"Sounds like you're talking from experience."

Catra shudders. "Don't remind me."

She hears a melodic laugh from the other end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently on the She Ra wiki it says that Catra likes sweets? Honestly same.
> 
> Also, one of the notable features of Firewatch is that the endings to the days can sometimes be quite abrupt. I'm trying to replicate that in this fic, but it just comes across as me being lazy. I promise that that's not my intended effect!
> 
> \- Elle


	4. Day 3

The gentle hum of lo-fi music drifts through the room from an secondhand MP3 speaker that Adora had bought for the summer. She's currently sitting cross legged on her bed, leaning against the window and resting a piece of paper on her Biology textbook. The scratch of the pen against paper is strangely comforting.

Adora signs the letter with a flourish and puts down her pen with a fond smile, staring at the letter. She picks up her walkie-talkie.

"Catra?"

"Hm?"

"How good is the postal service here?"

Adora hears a snide laugh. "That's a funny joke."

"I wasn't joking...?"

"You'll be lucky if the person on the other end gets the delivery by the end of June."

"It'll only be going to California, not all the way to the East Coast or anything."

"Adora, we're literally out here in the middle of nowhere with questionable power lines and rations that even the US Army would turn their noses up at. What makes you think that we can access first-class postal services?"

"Oh, right... And how do I deliver it? It's just a letter, that's all."

"Just... put it in a supply cache and give me the coordinates. I can hike out to it and then pass it on to the supply team - they should have access to some sort of mailbox or something, seen as though they're the ones who organise supply movement in and out of the Shoshone."

The blonde folds the letter and places it in an envelope before carefully writing Bow and Glimmer's address on the front. "Okay, thanks Catra!"

"Who are you sending letters to, anyway? This isn't meant to be a getaway where you can write pretentious letters to long-lost loves."

"I'm not writing to any long-lost loves! I just want to tell my friends that I've got here safely, since there's no Internet out here."

"Aww, how cute. Next you'll be telling me that you've folded them little origami swans and decorated the envelope with stickers meant for preschoolers."

"Well, maybe not all of us have our college friends just hanging around in other lookouts!" Adora counters, getting off her bed.

"That's just too bad." Yawns Catra as Adora places the envelope in her rucksack and slips it on her shoulders.

"I'm heading out to place it in the cache."

"What, now? You're meant to be sat in your tower looking for any signs of fire."

"And that's getting boring. I've been cooped up in here for almost the whole day." Adora replies, opening the door and stepping out.

"You do realise that that's your job?" Catra asks while the blonde walks down the wooden stairs. "Whatever. Don't blame me if you get mauled by a bear or something."

"Wow, that's so considerate."

"Of course."

Adora rolls her eyes at the walkie-talkie. The sky overhead is beginning to darken, sweeping away the sticky heat of the noon. She feels the cool air on her skin and hears the gentle chirping of insects in the grass, breathing a sigh of relief as she begins walking.

"So... how come people don't send letters around here?"

"Because most lookouts who come here aren't the sort of people who wanna talk or think about their lives outside of the Shoshone." Catra replies, her tone severe. "Plus, delivery times are stupidly long anyway."

"Ah, right. Makes sense, I guess." Adora says, jumping down a ledge onto the rocks below. "Do you... send letters? To anyone?"

She hears another snide laugh. "What do you think?"

"... No?"

The walkie-talkie goes quiet for a while. Adora continues her walk in silence, wondering if Catra included herself in that category of reclusive lookouts. Then again, didn't Catra mention that she's the beer pong champion back at her college?

"I have all the contacts I need just a line away. Besides, it's not like anything interesting happens out here that would require a fucking letter. And don't just assume that this letter sending shit can continue for the whole summer. The supply team are the ones paying for postage."

"Ah, right. Sorry, I mean I could pay the fee- shall I just drop some notes in the cache-."

"Forget about it. Just don't expect this to be a regular thing."

"... Okay."

"I've got a call to make. Hang on for a sec." Catra says.

"Alright." Adora responds, but she doesn't hear the typical 'click' of their line being cut. "Catra?"

"Look, I told you I'm trying my best here!" Catra snaps at whoever she's talking to.

"Catra, you've left your line open-."

"Well, good for her! She's the brains out of us all, I don't get why you're making me do all this shit."

Adora blinks at the walkie-talkie, not knowing what else to do.

"No, she doesn't have idea, I told you that already!" Catra exclaims. "I am absolutely sure."

The blonde continues walking. She turns and soon enters a canyon.

"I'll tell you if anything changes, but at the moment. I know fuck all. Happy?" Catra says. It sounds like she's talking through gritted teeth.

A moment later, Catra returns to their conversation. "Hey, I'm back."

"Who was that?" Adora asks.

"Who was who?"

"'No, she doesn't have any idea'. What was that? Were you talking about me?"

"Uh, what?"

"You left your button pressed or something."

"Adora, that call was work. I was just talking to... actually, it's none of your business. Why are you freaking out?"

"I'm not freaking out."

"Good. Well, I'm gonna go quiet for a bit. You're giving me a headache."

The 'click' sounds, signalling that the line had actually been cut this time. Adora breathes out a curse, angrily shoving the device in her pocket and quickening her pace.

Okay, Catra was really starting to get on her nerves. It wasn't Adora's fault that Catra left her line open - what was Catra expecting her to do? Plug her ears and ignore the conversation?

By now, the sky is an inky blue, and Adora has to dig out her torch in order to see ahead. She soon spots an orange supply cache sitting at the base of a large boulder and walks over to it.

Unlocking the cache, she lifts open the lid and roots around in her bag for the letter.

Looking at the envelope suddenly causes a wave of loneliness to wash over her. Bow and Glimmer had chosen to stay in San Francisco for the summer, and had even begun planning a road trip around California before Adora announced that she wouldn't be around for the months between June and September.

She sets the envelope down in the box and locks it back up again with a heavy heart, before picking up her bag to walk home. Her torch had switched off while she was pulling the letter out of her bag, and wasn't turning on no matter how many times Adora flicks the switch. 

Great. Out of charge. Adora attaches the dead torch to her belt and begins making her way home in the dark. Any sliver of light overhead is being marred by the canyon surrounding her.

She steps in the stream, feeling the water splash into her shoe. Adora lets out an audible groan of frustration, shaking her foot rapidly while the cold seeps into her sock. Sighing, the blonde continues her journey, now trying to tread cautiously at the ground beneath her feet.

Part of her now really wishes that she'd just stayed back in the small apartment with Bow and Glimmer. A summer consisting of trips to Baker Beach and movie nights filled with laughter was now far more tempting.

But it isn't like Adora can just hop on a helicopter and head home. She's stuck here, with no one except a cranky, faceless supervisor constantly ordering her around.

 _'This is great.'_ Adora thinks. _'Day 3 and I'm already sick of this place.'_

After a moment of walking, she sees the opening of the canyon and the pathway ahead.

A series of loud, cracking sounds ring through the air, startling the blonde. She jumps, then remembers that she's in a canyon. Probably just a loose rock falling down.

Glad that she's on the right path, she moves towards it when suddenly, a circle of light appears around her. She hears a rustling sound from overhead and looks up, wincing at the glare from the light.

Seeing a figure standing at the top of the canyon, a few metres upwards, Adora feels her chest tighten in fear. She opens her mouth to yell at the stranger but the light soon disappears, bathing her in darkness again. The mystery person quickly disappears with another rustle.

Blinking away the remnants of the glare, Adora quickly picks up her walkie-talkie.

"Catra? Catra!"

Silence. Adora lets out an impatient noise, her finger pressing firmly against the device button.

"Catra! Fucking pick up!"

"For fuck's sake, what now?!"

"There's... there's someone following me."

"What?"

"You heard me! I'm near the opening of the canyon and- someone just pointed their flashlight down at me!"

"Adora, you haven't picked up and eaten some of those mushrooms on the way here, have you? Because they can make you see some crazy shit."

"I haven't eaten any shrooms, and I am one-hundred percent sure that I didn't hallucinate anything!"

"Adora... I'm sorry to tell you this..."

"Tell me what?"

"Have you maybe considered that this park... has other rangers working in it? I know, it's a crazy idea." Catra says. "It's almost as if the task of fire-watching in the Shoshone requires more than, like, two people."

"But-."

"Just shut up and get to your tower."


	5. Day 6

Catra lifts open the supply cache and takes out the envelope sitting in it. 

"Okay, I got your damn letter. You're lucky that someone from the supply team will be dropping by my lookout tower today."

"Thanks!"

"Mm. Have you managed to find your speaker yet?"

Adora had been complaining about her goddamn speaker for ages now.

"No- and it's bugging me so much! I spent good money at that thrift store for it."

Catra snorts. "You bought it at a thrift store? Wow."

"What?! I'm not rich, you know!"

The brunette rolls her eyes, beginning to walk back to her tower. She flips the envelope in her hands, before stuffing it in her coat pocket. 

"You don't think... that it has something to do with happened down at the canyon, do you?"

Catra stops in her tracks.

Fucking Entrapta and her clumsy ass.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, remember that night when I saw someone down over at the canyon opening?"

Swiftly, the brunette changes direction towards where Adora would've been that night, on her way back to her tower.

"Correction. You _thought_ that you had seen someone." Catra quips, walking again.

"I did! I got home and immediately started preparing to go to bed so I wasn't paying attention to where it was - and then next morning when I woke up, my speaker was gone!"

"Look, Adora, no one is going around stealing your shit. The other lookouts have jobs to be doing, and there's literally no campers in your area at the moment." 

"Then where's my speaker?"

"I don't know!"

She hears Adora give a frustrated huff. "How am I gonna get through the rest of these few months without any music?!"

In the distance, Catra spots a glint amongst the rocks. She hurries over to it and sees the battered remnants of an electronic speaker, its glass screen cracked. Catra picks up the broken device and shoves it in her bag.

Definitely Entrapta. She probably dropped it while standing on the ledges above.

"Catra? You still there?"

"Yeah. It's bound to be in your tower somewhere - the place isn't big. Anyway, I'm hiking back, so I'll talk to you later."

* * *

By the time Catra had speed-walked back to her tower, she was covered in a sheen of sweat and panting lightly. The quicker she can check this letter out, the better.

She drops her bag by the door, takes the ruined speaker out and brushes off the grime before peering at it. Even in this dysfunctional state, Catra could tell that the device was well used. Curious, she presses the power-on button. No response. She places the speaker aside, more focused on the letter which she fishes out of her pocket.

Catra sits at her desk, swiping some miscellaneous items to the side and peering at the envelope. A postage stamp for second-class delivery is affixed to the corner - when Catra peers closer, she spots a small picture of a grand-looking building with the words 'Eternia University' printed underneath. What sort of university has their own stamps?

Suddenly, her door swings open, revealing a slender figure standing by the frame.

"Knock knock, Kitten!" Double Trouble grins, sauntering in and carrying Catra's box of rations. The pair have known each other ever since Catra took up the job, and yet Catra never knew their name outside of their alias. Or maybe they were actually called Double Trouble. Catra didn't know, and she didn't really care.

"Hello, Double." She said, dropping the envelope and standing up.

The ranger drops the box by the kitchenette before straightening up and dusting off their clothes. "Enjoying your spotting scope?" They ask, smirking.

"You bet." Catra grins back.

"I must admit, I am impressed. Scopes like that one don't come cheap. Hordak's made a good investment." They point at the box. "By the way, the supply house ran out of tequila, so you've got beer for the next week."

"Great. As if I don't drink enough of that in college." Catra drawls. Double Trouble simply shrugs.

"How's the new lookout you've been assigned?"

"A pain in the ass. She's an Eternia student, won't shut the hell up."

Double Trouble chuckles, sitting on the kitchenette counter. "Is that so? Well, that'll make for one fun summer."

"Yeah, right. I almost slipped a few days ago when I accidentally left our line open while I talked to Hordak." Groans Catra, walking over and opening the rations box. Inside, her usual supplies, and two large cases of cheap beer. "Fright Zone Brewery Beer? Ugh."

"Did she hear anything?"

"Nothing important." Catra replies, looking at the beer. "But she still got kinda suspicious, which really doesn't help since Hordak wants me to siphon information about her." An idea pops into her head.

"Oh, this _is_ interesting." 

Catra bends down and picks up one of the beer cases before holding it out for Double Trouble. "Take this."

"What? I'd rather die than drink that stuff!"

"This isn't for you!" Catra says, the grin creeping back onto her face. "Put it in the supply cache for Two Forks Tower. She says she doesn't drink, but she's got the rest of summer to deal with."

Double Trouble looks at the beer case, then at Catra with an equally devilish grin. "Oh, you fiend." They say, taking the case. "Fine, I'll drop it in her cache on the way to the other lookouts."

"It's bound to work." Catra says as they stand up to leave. She spots the envelope sitting on her desk.

Double Trouble stops to look at it too. "What, you've got a delivery too?" They say, reaching out their hand for it. "You do know that the nearest mailbox is three days away-."

Catra slaps their hand out of the way. "No, it's not a delivery. It's going nowhere."

"Jeez, okay."

"Just put the beer in Adora's cache." 

"Whatever you say, kitten." Says Double Trouble, opening the door. "You must tell me if you manage to glean something good! See you next week!"

"Sure." Catra replies as Double Trouble descends the stairs with a flourishing wave.

As soon as they leave her field of view, she grabs the envelope and rips it open. She briefly looks at the address on the front, making a mental note to relay it on later. 

She pulls out the letter, written on lined paper and in Adora's neat handwriting:

_Dear Bow and Glimmer,_

_I have no idea when you guys will get this, but I've started my new job! Driving all the way out here was hell, and I had to hike for hours all the way up the lookout tower. How are things in SF? It must be starting to feel a lot warmer by now._

_The job's been pretty uneventful so far - just clearing up after campers and making sure the comms are running nicely. Apart from that, I'm spending a lot of time in my tower or exploring the area. Haven't seen anyone around the place yet, I didn't know I'd be so far from the other lookouts. It's kinda weird when I think about it - the last people I saw were you two right before I left, and it feels like ages since that happened._

_Well, technically I'm not entirely alone. Catra's the one giving me orders through the radio - I haven't seen her, but her tower's the closest to mine. Tried hiking over to it the other day, but it's beyond a ravine and the cable car was broken. Catra's... interesting. She can be really nice sometimes, and a bitch the rest of the time... but hey, at least it's a voice to listen to other than my own._

_The Internet here's crap, as expected, but I guess it'll be a good chance for me to have a 'detox' from technology or whatever it's called. Truth be told, I'm still figuring out why I chose to sign up for this job in the first place, but you know when there's just something that doesn't quite feel right? When you need to find out more about yourself and the world around you? It feels like someone took a big jigsaw puzzle of my life and switched some pieces around, and lost some other pieces. I dunno, that's how I've been feeling and I think I need this time to figure that out. Do you guys ever get that feeling? Or am I just writing nonsense?_

_Anyway, I'm gonna keep on writing letters to you - to keep you updated, but also so that I don't go crazy while I'm here. Catra's delivering them for me, and I've got my fingers crossed that you'll both get this letter before long._

_Again, I'm sorry for leaving you guys for the summer at such short notice. I still feel bad that I waited so long after getting the job to tell you guys, and for ruining our California road-trip plans. I promise I'll make it up to you guys when we get back! What about a trip to the Whispering Woods Diner on me? Man, I'd do anything for one of their burgers right now..._

_Love and miss you both!_

_Adora_

_P.S. Say hi to Swift Wind for me!_

The blinking lights on the radio pull Catra back into the present.

"Catra? Have the supply team come by yet?" Says Adora.

"Oh... uh, yeah. They just left."

"Did you give them my letter?"

Catra folds the letter and sets it to the side. "Duh, obviously."

"Just checking..."

"By the way, the supply team are filling up your cache. You should be able to hike out to it and get your rations by tomorrow. Your specific cache is by the ravine - should be marked on your map."

Smooth change of subject.

"Wait- I have to hike out to it?"

"... Yeah? Unless you wanna start using tree bark as toilet paper?"

"I thought you said the rations get delivered?"

"They get delivered to my lookout, because I'm a veteran of the Shoshone. You, Adora, are a newbie. All newbies have to hike to get their supplies."

"Veteran? You literally sound like you're the same age as me."

"Well, whatever. My point is, you're not getting the luxury of sitting on your ass and getting your rations handed to you. So suck it up."

Catra presses a button, disconnecting the line. Her eyes drift to Adora's broken speaker sitting on the window ledge before she connects herself to Entrapta's line.

"Entrapta."

"Ah, Catra! Hello! I was just fixing up-."

"Did you visit Adora's lookout a couple of days ago?"

"... Who?"

"The lookout over at Two Forks."

"Oh! Yes, I did!"

"You're a fucking idiot. You ran into her over at Thunder Canyon, didn't you?"

"I was over there when I kinda dropped the speaker I found at her tower. I was meant to shine the torch down at the speaker, but it turns out she was there too! Don't worry, the glare would've been enough to obscure me from view. Do you have the speaker?"

"Yes, I have the fucking speaker! And do you know how bad shit would've gotten if she found it that night?"

"Can I have it?"

"What?"

"The speaker?"

"You can have it if you make sure that you don't get caught again." Catra growls. "Otherwise, we'll have some major explaining to do."

"Okay!" Entrapta chirps.

"I'll put it in your cache. Did you find anything else?"

"I managed to hack into her laptop and copy the files onto a hard drive!"

"Are any of the things on it useful?"

"I don't know, most of the documents are password protected. I can decrypt them, but it'll take a few days since there's a lot of files to get through."

Catra breathes out a laugh. "What sort of weirdo uses password protection on their documents?!" She sighs, leaning back in her chair and staring at the ceiling. "Okay, just don't get caught again."

"Duly noted! I've calculated a new route to take from now on!" Entrapta says. Catra disconnects the line and looks back at Adora's letter.

Who the fuck are Bow and Glitter? Siblings? Adora hadn't mentioned any, and the tone of the letter certainly isn't hinting at that either. Catra rolls her eyes - knowing about Adora's dumbass friends isn't of much help.

SF - San Francisco. That's easy to figure out. Although that's just the city where Eternia's at. Back to square one.

And all this 'jigsaw puzzle' bullshit. Sure, Adora wouldn't be retelling her life story in any of these letters, but this is just way too fucking vague.

But most importantly - Catra getting called a bitch?! She gives a loud huff of indignance and tosses the letter to the side. Not only had she gleaned no useful information, she'd also been called a 'bitch' by a fucking double honours student.

"We'll see who the bitch is, Adora." Catra mutters under her breath as she glares at the radio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the huge delay in posting! It was taking me ages to figure out how to word Adora's letter and I started medical school back in October which was just HECTIC so please accept my apologies if anyone is still reading this!


End file.
